Geology and Sustainable Mining Institute (GSMI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, Morocco.
Geology and Sustainable Mining Institute (GSMI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, Morocco; Imed-Lab, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Cadi Ayyad University (UCA), Marrakech, Morocco.
J Environ Manage. 2024 May;358:120833. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120833. Epub 2024 Apr 9.
Phosphate holds a critical role as a vital, limited, strategic, and irreplaceable resource. Throughout its production chain, residual phosphate can be found in waste streams. This study aims to enhance production efficiency by exploring methods to limit residual phosphate presence in waste stocks. It investigates the presence of residual phosphate in a phosphate mining site. The presence of residual phosphate throughout the production chain is investigated. Through meticulous analyses of extraction, destoning, and screening processes, the study identifies three primary stages where residual phosphate exists, the study simulates different scenarios of residual phosphate recovery and prevention. The principal data sources are data from mining site, recent literature, and information from a lithological log, the study meticulously analyzes the extraction, crushing, and sieving processes to assess the persistence of residual phosphate. The production chain diagnostic revealed that 76% of resource present is recovered (either integrated into the value chain or stored in the mine for future use), from which 8% goes to the destoning waste rocks (75% of which is residual phosphate) and the screening waste rocks (72% of which is residual phosphate), with an average grade that reaches 25% PO. Approximately, 24% of the initial phosphate rock (with an average grade of 22% PO) remains as residual phosphate which is retained in the spoil piles. To recover and prevent the presence of residual phosphate, the study proposes four new scenarios for improvement, including an integrated scenario where all the solutions are combined for a comprehensive approach. Both quantity and grade of recovered residual phosphate are assessed in each scenario. To evaluate these enhancements, the study utilizes the AnyLogic software to simulate existing process configuration and the maximal recovery of each scenario. The current flowsheet indicates that extracted phosphate can be directed either to pre-beneficiation and expedition or stored for future use. By prioritizing the extraction of phosphate over the final product, the simulation results suggest that implementing these novel scenarios could potentially save 25% of the total phosphate resource and increase storage by twofold, preserving phosphate that would otherwise be unused. This recovered phosphate can then be destined to various uses, meeting the company's present or future needs. Considering this, the study opts to keep stocks separated based on their grades and avoid mixing new phosphate streams with the final product. The implications of this research extend to sustainable mining practices, with direct ramifications for environmental impact mitigation and the conservation of valuable resources.
磷作为一种重要的、有限的、战略性的和不可替代的资源，具有关键作用。在其生产链中，废物流中都存在残余磷。本研究旨在通过探索限制废物流中残余磷存在的方法来提高生产效率。它调查了磷矿开采现场中残余磷的存在情况。研究调查了整个生产链中残余磷的存在情况。通过对提取、碎石和筛选过程的细致分析，研究确定了残余磷存在的三个主要阶段，研究模拟了不同的残余磷回收和预防情景。主要数据来源是采矿现场的数据、最近的文献以及岩性测井的信息，研究细致地分析了提取、粉碎和筛选过程，以评估残余磷的持久性。生产链诊断显示，76%的现有资源得到回收（要么整合到价值链中，要么储存在矿山中以备将来使用），其中 8%进入碎石废石（其中 75%为残余磷）和筛选废石（其中 72%为残余磷），平均品位达到 25%PO。大约 24%的初始磷矿（平均品位为 22%PO）作为残余磷保留在废石堆中。为了回收和防止残余磷的存在，研究提出了四个新的改进方案，包括一个综合方案，其中所有解决方案都结合在一起，采取全面的方法。在每个方案中都评估了回收的残余磷的数量和品位。为了评估这些改进，研究利用 AnyLogic 软件模拟现有工艺配置和每个方案的最大回收率。当前的流程图表明，提取的磷可以直接导向预选矿或储存以备将来使用。通过优先提取磷而不是最终产品，模拟结果表明，实施这些新方案可能会节省总磷资源的 25%，并将储存量增加一倍，从而保留否则将未使用的磷。然后可以将这些回收的磷用于各种用途，以满足公司当前或未来的需求。有鉴于此，研究选择根据品位将库存分开，并避免将新的磷流与最终产品混合。这项研究的意义延伸到可持续采矿实践，对减轻环境影响和保护宝贵资源具有直接影响。
